John Oliver's HBO series gets premiere date, name

John Oliver, who filled in for host Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show,"… (Neilson Barnard / Getty…)

February 12, 2014|By Curt Wagner, @ShowPatrol | RedEye

John Oliver's upcoming HBO comedy series has a name and a start date: "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" will begin at 10 p.m. April 27.

HBO announced Wednesday that the former "Daily Show" correspondent's half-hour series will present "a satirical look at the week in news, politics, and current events."

Oliver joined "The Daily Show" in 2006, but had the chance to prove his ability to lead a series when he filled in as anchor for two months when host Jon Stewart took time off to make a movie.

Oliver has received three Emmys for his work on Stewart's writing staff. Oliver also hosts of "John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show" on Comedy Central, which gives up-and-coming and established comedians a chance to do their thing. Oliver co-writes and co-presents the weekly satirical podcast The Bugle with longtime collaborator Andy Zaltzman. The Bugle currently receives more than 500,000 downloads a month.

If all that isn't enough, he also has a recurring role on NBC's "Community."